THE WATER SCAVENGER
by Krisette Santamaria, Daniel Antonucci, Liza Tawadrous
The Water Scavenger is a portable, lightweight water filtration system made of found objects like discarded water bottles, old backpacks, and siphon. This backpack embodies the resourcefulness and ingenuity of a community united by a common yet threat in 2030 Toronto - a water crisis.
PROJECT BRIEF
To choose an artifact to use as a base to design meaningful interactions that will help shape your vision of Toronto in 2030.
SKILLS
Primary Research, Concept Development, Interaction Design,
Prototyping, Project Management, Photography, Video Editing, Visual Presentation
TOOLS
TYPE
Illustrator, Solidworks, Survey, Storyboard, Photoshop, Plastic & Wood
Fabrication
Speculative Design, Group Project
TIMELINE
ROLE
4 Weeks
Conduct Primary & Secondary Research, CAD Rendering, Documentation, Content Creation, Prepare weekly slide presentation, Photography, Video Presentation
RESEARCH
To kick off the project, the team looked into current issues that could shape Toronto in 2030. After doing the research, our group chose water security.
CHOSEN ARTIFACT
We chose the drinking fountain as our artifact as it represents the country’s rich endowment from Mother Nature. From a global perspective, Canada is very fortunate to have 7% of the world’s renewable freshwater supply considering that it only has 0.5% of Earth’s population.
CONTEXT
Water is essential to ecosystemic and human existence. It is also indispensable, but a finite resource for generating economic wealth and political power. This project looks into how the scarcity of fresh water impacts Toronto’s social and power structures in 2030.
TORONTO in 2030
The city is growing at a thrilling speed. Immigration continues to fuel population growth. Exciting new technologies are emerging everywhere. As Toronto steps into a new decade, it is met with tremendous opportunities and new challenges. The most unique and significant of these challenges is the water shortage.
The year 2030- the global water crisis the United Nations predicted 12 years ago has become a terrifying reality. The world only has 60% of the water it needs. And for the first time, Toronto faces a water crisis as the water level in Lake Ontario, its main source of fresh water, drops at an unprecedented level.
EXPLORATORY IDEATIONS
To facilitate the brainstorming session, each team member presented three concepts. All the interactions were designed around bringing people from different communities of Toronto together through the drinking fountain.
TARGET USERS
We chose the low--income and high-income households of Toronto as our target demographics.
LOW-INCOME COMMUNITY
HIGH-INCOME COMMUNITY
LOW FIDELITY PROTOTYPES
We explored different types of interactions between our two target demographics through a technological lens by building different rough prototypes.
INTERACTIVE SCALE MODEL OF TORONTO
This model represents the city’s landscape which has been reorganized around the commercial flow of freshwater. This prototype is a three-dimensional layout of the 6 districts that Toronto has been divided into. The first 4 districts are assigned exclusively for high-income households that receive top priority for the freshwater supply. The 2 remaining districts are designated to low-income households that receive low priority.
Side View
Top View
TORONTO REAL ESTATE APP
This is a tool for potential home buyers and real estate agents that allows them to quickly search for properties for that they are eligible to buy based on their income and their ability to purchase freshwater.
WATER GUAGE
As the high-income households are given priority for the supply of fresh water, their faucets and toilets are equipped with this water gauge. This gauge displays the amount of water used and the amount available on the giant screen on the rooftop of their house. This, in turn, informs their low-income neighbors how much water they can expect for the week or day.
WATER SCAVENGER BACKPACK
This is a portable water filtration unit made of found objects. It is comprised of three detachable parts: the filter and two water containers. It is designed to be light enough to be carried as a backpack.
PERSONA
After synthesizing our research about our target demographics, we created a persona that represents an archetype or user of our object. We refined our design solution around their goals, pain points, and values.
Name: Sam
Age: 27 years old
Occupation: line cook
Location: Toronto
Values: innovation, resourcefulness, cooperation, transparency
Sam has created her own water filtration backpack made of found objects like plastic soda bottles, a used gas siphon pump, and an old water filter. She learned how to make it from her friend at the community center. Because potable water is becoming increasingly expensive, She carries the backpack around to collect runoff water around the city. Now, instead of paying a premium for potable, Sam has her created her own water supply.
MOOD BOARD
After choosing the water scavenger backpack as the final concept, the group put together a mood board that served as a visual guide for the design. We found the mood board to be an effective way to share our ideas in shaping the desired aesthetic.
CAD RENDERINGS
TECHNICAL DRAWINGS
STORYBOARD
We used the storyboard to clearly convey how the user interacts with the backpack and illustrate the context within which they interact.
Sam is on her day off. She invites her friends over for dinner but realizes she has run out of water.
She picks up her Water Scavenger backpack and heads out to collect water.
Places like rain gutters, plant boxes, discarded containers..
She looks in places around her neighborhood where residue water
could gather.
..even decommissioned fountains..
and puddles.
Once her 2 containers are filled, she
goes back home and store the water she collected in a larger container clean and ready for use!
HOW IT WORKS
HOW IT WILL CHANGE THE STATUS QUO
FABRICATION
We made the prototype with mostly found materials like blue foam scrap, leftover acrylic sheet and plywood, and used soda bottles.
FINAL PROTOTYPE
TRANSPARENCY
The clear plastic material used represents a culture that values honesty, community, and mutual trust.
RESOURCEFULNESS
Using found objects
as its components.
INNOVATION
Using the water crisis as the driver of innovation, empowering individuals by enabling them to take charge of their own water supply.
COOPERATION
Bringing people together and fostering
community action.
